The 7 effects of language Part 1 If you have been struggling with analysis, especially in your English Modules, the following may be of assistance in getting you started. Please note that language effects are not limited to these few, but understanding these will broaden your thinking into a critical awareness of other effects. Welcome to this presentation on language effects. I am Lungelwa Phakathi one of the lecturers in the English Studies Department. Many people struggle with the analysis of language and I hope these slides will help to give you a start if you are also struggling. Language has more effects than the few that will be discussed here, however understanding these will hopefully improve your critical awareness of other effects. Please note that due to length limits, not all effects will be discussed in one podcast; expect a continuation. I am also hoping to equip you with a simple skill of making learning part of your lifestyle by involving friends and family.

The Triangle Key Identify (What) Explain (How) Effect/Purpose (Why) Let us begin by recapping on a slide I have used in the past on how to analyse. In your guide you find these questions repeatedly, yet some students still struggle to respond to them effectively, so I have paraphrased them. It is important to note that no response is fully exhausted until the triangle is complete. I am going to retain the colour coding that appears here, so whenever you see this colour coding, please remember what it represents. Green is for “What”, avocado is for “How” and purple is for “Why”.

These are some effects of language Create an image Draw attention / highlight Reiterate Emphasise Create an atmosphere Evoke emotions Give an idea These effects will be discussed separately with examples from different poems so that you can understand them in context. Please remember that context always determines meaning in language. Ensure that you are familiar with the different literary devices as I shall be using them in my discussion and you need to understand them enough to be able to identify them in any context.

Create an Image All poetic devices that have an element of comparison always create an image in the reader’s mind. Simile “My hand like a starved snake rears my pockets”(City Johannesburg Line 6 by Wally Serote) An image of a ‘starved snake’ immediately comes to mind. Think of the qualities of a starved snake. (Quick movement / determination etc.) Comparing the hand to a snake, gives an image which clarifies how quickly the hand moves, with determination in search of the wallet. Language can “Create an Image”. A quick tip is knowing that poetic devices that compare, always create an image in your mind. This is their basic effect as it leads to other effects, this you will notice once you become familiar with analysis. By comparing the hand to a snake, the poet gives an image that clarifies how quickly the hand moves with determination in search of the wallet. This further gives a sense of urgency and it relates to the apartheid theme since the ‘dompass’ had to be always readily available on request. Note how the image gives birth to another effect which is to ‘clarify’ in this case. Remember how I said more effects will crop up! Since we are starting with comparisons, for practice, you can use different sources (Prescribed poems, news reports, prose, advertisements) to play with family members. Members should identify as many examples of simile as they can find from the source at hand. Take turns to share – telling the group what two things are compared/ which image comes to mind/ what does this image imply about the other object in the comparison. (The family will bond as a student you develop. It is advisable to use fruit as a reward rather than sweets.)

Metaphor “When your neon flowers flaunt their way through the falling darkness/ On you cement trees.” (City Johannesburg Line 26&27) Images of flowers and trees are already in your mind. The adjectives “neon” and “cement” that have been used to describe the two, immediately replace the natural image you may have had and you see the bright lights that make the evening beautiful like flowers do to any landscape by day and skyscrapers that rise into the sky like tall trees. This definitely gives an image of the city at dusk when the street and traffic lights are on. Can you see how the metaphor also creates an image of what the city looks like at dusk? Once more we have explored the “What”, “How” and “Why”. If you used a poem to play with your family/friends, you may change it to another source like a scene from a play, news report/advertisement or piece of fictitious prose. This will help you realise that poetic devices are used across different types of discourse, so that when you are doing a close study of any source, you may not overlook them.

Personification “Through your thick iron breath that you inhale/ At six in the morning and exhale from five noon.” (City Johannesburg Lines 20&21) Can you picture this giant breathing iron? Replace the giant with the City Johannesburg and you will ‘see’ the traffic (cars and busses/trains made of iron) Another image has been perfectly created through personification. Now, take careful note of the discussion that follows.

The Discussion It is not sufficient to simply say a poetic device creates an image. Responses should be specific as to what image is created, how it has been done through that device and what effect it has on meaning. e.g. The personification used where the city is compared to someone breathing iron, creates a vivid image of the heavy morning and evening traffic that enters and leaves Johannesburg like someone inhaling and exhaling. Through this the poet is protesting against the Act that forbade black people from living in town (city), hence the heavy traffic as they leave the city only to return in the morning, endlessly like breathing that never stops. I cannot repeat this enough, simply saying an image has been created will not get you marks. Remember the 3 colours of a complete response. Take note how more effects of language keep sprouting, this time we note that language can be used to “protest” through the images created. By playing with friends/family you will find that more effects crop up. It would be good to record these in your journal or practice book so that you can have a wide range of effects to draw from as you read different extracts.

We have come to the end of the first effect We have come to the end of the first effect. I hope you will enrich your learning by playing the “learning games” discussed here with your families, friends or colleagues. The next effect will be discussed in the next video podcast. Thank you.